KARAMAH Holds a Town Hall Meeting on Islam, Shari’ah and Religious Freedom at The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture NY

Rev. Dr. James Forbes, Dr. Azizah al-Hibri, Prof. Theodore Shaw

On Monday October 17, 2011, KARAMAH, in collaboration with Women in Islam, held a town hall meeting at The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York. The event featured: Rev. Dr. James Forbes, Dr. Azizah al-Hibri, and Prof. Theodore Shaw and was moderated by Anisa Mehdi.

During this event, panelists discussed misconceptions that drive anti-Islamic and anti-Shari’ah sentiments, explaining what Shari’ah is, how it is practiced in the U.S., civil rights implications of recent efforts to ban Shari’ah, and the importance of interfaith cooperation on these issues. Panelists also denounced religious intolerance and gave examples from the Bible and the life of Prophet Mohammad calling for acceptance of the Other on the basis of justice, compassion and tolerance.